Tracking 430 Scuderia - UK Noise Regs

Nearly all UK track days run at either 98dB or 105dB - my 550 on Larini rear boxes runs 104dB but I suspect that the 430 Scuderia is a little louder - the best way of testing is just to buy a noise meter from someone like Demon Tweeks as per the MSA blue book eg test it a 3/4 max revs 0.5m (exactly) from the exhausts or else if you ask someone like Johnny at Bookatrack (give him a call as he will probably know how loud your type of car is) he might lend you a noise meter - lastly you could go to your local track and ask them to test.

If you want to run with the full exhaust then you have the option of getting a race license and then using the no noise limit donington days, Mallory park on a wed morning - the other option is to go to Spa and sneak over to the ring

have fun

 

The factory announced it as 106 db - some folk here have been ok on 105 db days- some have been thrown off

The after-market exhaust issue relative to warranty is unresolved - anyway you'd probably find they claim the tracking also invalidates it

Fiorano's quiet exhaust seems to have got lost in its demise sadly as many folk would probably have wanted to fit it had it been retailed

 

Went to Bedford last week and we had serious problems with the Scud...the static test went "fine" (104db but the car was at 3000rpm against the 4500 requested) but once on the track all the 4 noise alarms on the track were activated once the car passed by!!

 

As noted in the first reply its not just a circuit issue its a day issue too

For example Donigton is usually 98 db but some days are 105 db - a very few each year are unlimited eg RMA April 7 & July 16 & a couple with Book-a-track

Sometimes Spa is unlimited eg June 29

You just need to find the days which are 'unsilenced'

There will be very few others anywhere in Europe - I believe the Spanish tracks are more flexible

 

Fiorano track has two sections where there is a compulsory "lift off" gas. A 50 meter stretch at the start finish straight and the back straight at turn 7.
The reason is that they are getting complaints from residents around the area.

 

Political correctness gone crazy. This is madness, how long has Fiorano track been there??? Basically forever and with F1 cars charging around it too...

If people insist on moving into an area in a flight path or in a noisy track area they SHOULDN'T LATER COMPLAIN about the friggin' noise.

Drive's me crazy, stupid governments agreeing with them too!

 

I took my Gt4 Dino round Goodwood a year ago, it failed the noise test but they let me drive it on the provision I short shift and lift off at the mic points. Apparently there is a bureaucrat who sits in a council office monitoring the track - this was due to complaints from a few neighbours. What I could not understand is why no one seemed bothered about the two helicopters that were started up, and sat with engines running for a good few minutes before flying off... Made the Dino sound like a mouse in comparison.

 

Its just hatred of the car, there WILL be huge backlash if they continue to squeeze on tracks.

Its our last bastion of motoring freedom...

 

Donington has 2 types of day, "98dba" and "unsilenced" (which is technically 105dba but its not monitored as such).

Their council deal includes them having X number of race weekends with single noisy days during the week (no noisy days together). Hence general tests for competition cars tend to be mainly Thursdays, so Friday "quiet" before the noisy weekend. Tuesdays are sometimes noisy too. Noisy days are limited hence there is a price premium and in general trackday operators use quiet days because they mean cheaper circuit hire and most "normal" road cars are relatively quiet. Having said that track day operators do run on unsilenced days (RMA, Gold Track and Ferrari Owners do). When/if F1 comes to Donington next year they will run the F1 tyre test as a 3 day "race meeting", Fri/Sat/Sun thus reducing their available unsilenced race meeting weekends.

You dont need a competition licence to drive on an "unsilenced" day if its a track day, you only need a race licence (and race legal car) for general tests and race meetings.

A static noise test is pretty pointless for Donington as the councils deal specifies a drive-by "real world" limit. Most noisy turbo cars fail the noise test because of induction noise, not exhaust. So standing behind a car doing a static test would be a complete waste of time for them.

In general Ferrari's and Lambourghini's are too noisy for quiet day usage, especially newer ones with bypass valves. Any aftermarket exhaust will definitely be over the limit (unless you drive on half throttle all the time, but whats the point in that etc). To avoid disappointment its much safer to only do "unsilenced" days at Donington - they are available.

Note that the above is for Donington, all circuits are different because each has a unique deal with their local council.

Fiorano used to silence their cars so they had better freedom of choice for selecting circuits and days. But they could have run on unsilenced days at Donington if they had wanted to.

I have lived next to the circuit for the last 10 years and have occasionally complained to "Gareth" (the NWLDC environmental guy who lives in Doningtion village) about the REDUCING levels of noise coming from the circuit and airport along the lines of "look Gareth, I bought a house in between an airport and motor racing circuit because I like the sound of engines. Just because thick people dont realise its noisy when they move in doesnt give them the right etc etc". But to be fair, whilst waking to the distant sound of a flat-12 1976 Ferrari F1 engine whaling in the distance is nirvana the noise, every other day (including Sundays), of 180 motorbikes (I have a Fireblade) droning around the circuit is a bit tedious. Remember you might go to a track day once a month but Donington has something going round it every day (and I mean every day) from March to October. The airport is noisy too, but thats about 30 seconds of noise every 15 minutes, not a constant track day drone. So whilst I like the noise (especially the ELMS race, all 6 hours of it ))))) I can understand that noise needs to be managed and Donington has a fair remit really. We just have to be "quiet" on the quiet days, thats all.